Where You Belong

72

Meredith muttered under her breath, frustrated as she dug through the vast contents that had spent the last year taking over her locker. "Seriously. Where did this crap come from?"

"Talking to yourself, Dr. Grey?"

With a muffled yelp, Meredith jumped back, surprised at being caught talking to herself. Again. "Ouch," she muttered, rubbing the elbow she had smacked on the locker door during her surprise.

Derek stood before her, one eyebrow raised and a smirk on his face.

Meredith stood glaring at her gloating boyfriend for an entire second before she dropped her sore elbow and used her good hand to smack Derek across the chest. "Stop laughing at me."

"Who says I'm laughing?"He asked, not even trying to cover his amusement with the situation.

"Fine; you're laughing on the inside. And gloating on the outside." She paused. "I don't like you."

He huffed and stepped forward, his hands reaching for her hips. "You love me. You're just upset because I caught you talking to yourself again."

Meredith couldn't help the smile that came to her lips, remembering the first time he had caught her talking to herself; right after Derek and Addison's divorce had been finalized, and she had ended her crazy run around the hospital just feet away from his office. Where he had discovered Meredith talking herself into knocking. "Shut up."

His smirk grew larger as he sidled up against her, his lips only a breath away from hers. "Why is it that you always tell me to shut up when you know I'm right?"

"I do not-" she was cut off by his lips crashing down on hers. Her hands ran up his arms to clutch to his shoulders, holding her upright as Derek pressed close, dipping her back ever so slightly.

The door opened behind her, but neither noticed until, "Ugh, McDreamy, that's the last thing I need to see after the day I've had."

Derek grumbled as he reluctantly pulled away from Meredith, standing upright, but keeping his arms firmly around her waist. "Then don't look," he shot back at Cristina.

Meredith giggled, but pressed her hands lightly against Derek's chest. He continued to grumble, but released her. "What's wrong today, Cris?"

Cristina sent her a look that said everything and nothing at the same time. "Burke is driving me crazy! I finally got rid of Marlow, and you think that would make Burke happy, but now he's barely speaking to me. I got rid of the crazy ex. I let him pick a date for the wedding. What more does he want? Seriously!"Cristina slammed her locker door and ripped open the energy bar she had pulled out. "I'm right on the edge, Meredith."

Meredith bit back a laugh as she watched her best friend take a bite of energy bar and chew angrily. "The good news is that it will be over soon... Just a couple more weeks, right?"

Cristina scoffed. "Probably just another couple weeks until a new kind of hell. See, this is why I liked being single. I can't handle this, Meredith. Burke's turning into bride-freaking-zilla," and with that, Cristina stormed out of the locker room.

Meredith giggled as she watched her best friend disappeared behind the very quickly shutting door.

Derek sidled back up to her, an arm snaking around her waist. "I think she's the one turning into bridezilla..."

"Don't tell her that, or you'll die," she warned.

He chuckled as he pulled her close and buried his nose in her hair, inhaling deeply. "Noted."

Meredith sighed and leaned against Derek's strong chest, happy for a moment of peace. "This is nice."

"Mmm," he agreed, his voice humming against her head as his hands snaked around her waist.